The Early Church · c. AD 30
Chapter 1
You Will Be My Witnesses
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
For parents
This chapter tells, in Peter’s words, how Judas died. Judas had guided the ones who took Jesus. He fell headfirst, and his body burst open (Acts 1:18). The field he got with the reward for his wickedness was called Akeldama, “The field of blood” (1:19). It is told plainly, with the wording softened.
This book begins with a word to . “Theophilus,” it says, “the first book I wrote told of everything Jesus began to do and to teach, up to the day he was taken up. Before that, through the , he had given orders to the he had chosen.”
After he suffered, Jesus showed himself alive to these apostles and gave them many proofs of it. Over a period of forty days he appeared to them and spoke about God’s Kingdom.
While they were gathered together, he gave them an order. “Don’t go away from ,” he said. “Wait for the Father’s promise, which you heard from me. people in water, but a few days from now you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.”
So, once they had gathered, they asked him, “Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons. The Father has set them under his own authority. But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power. You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in the whole of and , and to the farthest parts of the earth.”
When he had said these things, he was taken up as they watched, and a cloud took him in, out of their sight.
They were still staring into the sky as he went, and there beside them stood two men in white clothing. “Men of ,” the two men said, “why do you stand there looking up into the sky? This Jesus has been taken up from you into the sky, and he will come back the same way you saw him go into the sky.”
Then the apostles went back to Jerusalem from the mountain called . It is near Jerusalem, a day’s walk away.
When they had come in, they went up to the upstairs room where they were staying. They were , , , , , , , , , , and .
All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women and the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
In those days Peter stood up in the middle of the , a gathering of about one hundred twenty people. “Brothers,” he said, “the Holy Spirit spoke ahead of time through , and those words of Scripture had to come true. They were about , the man who guided the ones who took Jesus, because he was counted as one of us and received his share in this work.
“Now this man got a field with the reward for his wickedness. He fell headfirst. His body burst open, and all his insides came out. Everyone who lived in Jerusalem came to know that in their language that field was called , which means ‘The field of blood.’
“It is written in the book of Psalms:
‘Let his home be made empty.Let nobody live there,’and, ‘Let someone else take his position.’”
Peter went on. “So, some men have gone along with us all the time that the Lord Jesus came and went among us, from the baptism of John to the day Jesus was taken up from us. One of them must become a witness with us of Jesus’ .”
They put forward two men: , who was also called Justus, and .
Then they prayed. “Lord,” they said, “you know the hearts of all people. Show us which of these two men you have chosen to take part in this work and this position as an apostle. Judas fell away from it to go to his own place.”
They drew for them, and the lot fell on Matthias. He was counted with the eleven apostles.